Metal floor construction for railway cars and method of forming same



Dec. 31, 1968 p, G, KlNNECOM 3,418,771

METAL FLOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CARS AND METHOD OF FORMING' SAMEFiled Dec. 20, 1966 Sheet of :5

PAUL G. KlNNECOM ya )LM ATTORNEY 3,418,771 METAL FLOOR CONSTRUCTION FORRAILWAY CARS AND Sheet 2 Qf Dec. 31, 1968 P. G. KINNECOM METHOD OFFORMING SAME Filed Dec. 2o, 196e IIIIILLIHINMKL .vb

In. llLlnulllllll.. .Ill.I llllllllllltIII|T|I|| |||||I4||| llLllll QM@@.V\\ n Dec. 31, 1968 P. G. KlNNEcoM 3,418,771V

METAL FLOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CARS AND METHOD OF FORMING SAMESheet 3 of 5 Filed Dec. 20, 1966 United States Patent 3,418,771 METALFLOR CONSTRUCTIUN FOR RAILWAY CARS AND METHOD 0F FORMING SAME Paul G.Kinnecom, St. Charles, Mo., assignor to ACF Industries, Incorporated,New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 20, 1966, Ser.No. 603,289 2 Claims. (C1. 52--377) ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A metalfloor construction for railway freight cars and a method of forming samecomprising a plurality of intertting metal panels having suitablenailing grooves and being secured to the underframe of the railway carfrom a position above the underfrarne or floor. Each panel includes aplurality of planks formed from single metallic sheets of a generallyuniform thickness, each plank having a generally horizontal upper bodyportion and an integral upwardly opening generally channel-shaped sideportion which receives an adjacent plank in interftting relation andprovides a support for the adjacent plank intermediate the width of theadjacent plank.

Background of the invention Heretofore, in metal floor constructions forvehicles, such as railway cars illustrated in Patent No. 2,910,016,dated Oct. 27, 1959, a separate member has been employed to support orstitfen metal planks intermediate their width and the planks have beensecured to the stringers from a position beneath the underframe. The useof such a separate support member and the securing of the planks from aposition beneath the underframe requires additional time and labor inthe fabrication and securement of a metal floor.

Summary of the invention The present invention is directed to a metalfloor construction formed of a plurality of preformed panels which aresecured to the subjacent stringers and sill members from a positionabove the underframe. Each preformed panel comprises a plurality ofconnected metal planks, each plank being formed from a single metallicsheet and having, a generally horizontal upper body portion, a generallychannel-shaped side portion adjacent one side of the body portionterminating in an upper generally horizontal flange which is positionedbeneath and supports the body portions of the adjacent plankintermediate its width. The upwardly opening channel-shaped side portionalong one side of each preformed panel has its lower web in contact withsubjacent stringers and sill members and is arc welded thereto. After apanel is welded to the underframe, the open channel-shaped side portionthereof receives an interlitting side portion of an adjacent panel andis welded thereto from a position above the underframe whereby all ofthe floor panels are secured to the underframe from a position above theunderframe and are formed from a plurality of connected interfittingplanks thereby eliminating the use of any separate support members forthe planks.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafterdescribed, the scope of the invention being indicated in the followingclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possibleembodiments of the invention is illustrated:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the floor constniction of a railwayfreight vehicle comprising the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragment of FIGURE 1 illustrating interttingadjacent floor planks spaced from each other to provide nailing grooves;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged section taken generally along line 3*3 of FIGURE1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged section taken generally along line `4-4 ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged section taken generally along -line 5 5 ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a section taken generally along line 6-6 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragment of FIGURE 6 illustrating the securementof a floor plank to a subjacent Stringer.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of thisinvention, a railway box car is generally indicated 10 having an endwall 12, a pair of side walls 14, and an underframe generally indicated16. Underframe 16 includes side sills 18, an angle-shaped end sill 20and xed center sill members 22. Crossties 24 and crossbearers 26 extendbetween center sill members 22 and side sills 18. Stringers 28 extendlongitudinally of the railway box car 10.

A metal floor structure indicated generally 32 is mounted over stringers28 and center sill members 22. Floor structure 32 is formed of aplurality of preformed panels generally indicated 34 as shown in FIGURE4, each panel having a plurality of interfitting connected floor planks36. Preformed panels 34 may comprise any desired number of planks 36,such as three, four, or five planks. Each plank 36 is formed from agenerally at metallic sheet of a uniform thickness and comprises anupper generally horizontal main body portion 38 having an arcuatedownwardly and inwardly directed side portion 40 adjacent one side ofbody portion 38 and terminating in a generally horizontal lower flange42. Forming an integral portion of plank 36 adjacent the other sidethereof is a generally channel-shaped side portion 44 which terminatesin a generally horizontal extending upper liange 46. Channel-shaped sideportion 44 faces or opens upwardly and is adapted to receive aninterfitting side portion 40 of an adjacent plank 36. Channel-shapedside portion 44 includes vertical legs 48, 50 connected by a lowerhorizontal web 52.

Projecting outwardly from each side portion 40` is a plurality ofembossments or dimples 54 which fit against and contact leg 50 of theadjacent floor plank 36 to space leg 50 from adjacent side portion 40for forming a nailing groove 56 therebetween. The arcuate contour ofside portion 40 easily bends the nails as the nails are driven intogroove S6.

To secure a predetermined number of planks 36 together for forming apanel 34 such as a three plank panel shown in FIGURE 4, or a four plankpanel as shown in FIGURE 2, bridge welds 58 are provided at embossments54 between each side portion 40 and leg 50 of an adjacent plank 36 asshown particularly in FIGURE 2. Embossments 54 are of a length aroundthree inches while welds 58 over the embossments are of a length -aroundtwo and one-half inches. Thus, embossments 54 form a support for welds58. Additionally, a fillet weld S9 is provided adjacent flange 46 andthe undersurface of body portion 38 of the adjacent plank 36 as shownparticularly in FIGURE 4. To secure each panel 34 to the underframe, theplank 36 adjacent one side of each panel 34 has an open channel-shapedside portion 44. Lower web 52 of the open side portion 44 is arc spotwelded at 60 to subjacent stringers 28 and sill members 18 and 22. Welds60 are ,made intermediate the width of the upper horizontal anges ofstringers 28 and sill members 18, 22

from the upper surface of web 52. An interfitting side portion 40 alonga side of the adjacent intertting panel 34 has a plurality of raisedportions 64 along lower flange 42 to provide clearance for welds 60 asshown in FIG- URES 6 and 7. The :adjacent panels 34 are then bridgewelded to each other at e-mbossments 54 of the respective interittingside portions 40 and 50.

As illustrated in FIGURE 3, a bridge plank indicated generally 66 has anupper horizontal portion 68 and a downwardly and inwardly turned sideportion 70. A stepped support generally indicated 72 has a support ledge74 on which bridge plank 66 is secured by welding. Extending downwardlyfrom ledge 74 is a lower vertical leg 76 welded to a horizontal leg 77of end sill 20. An upper horizontal leg 78 of support 72 is welded tovertical leg 80 of end sill 20. Thus, bridge plank 66 constitutes thelast plank adjacent each end of car 10 and Vcompensates for variationsin distances between the end sill 20 and the adjacent oor plank 36.

Referring to FIGURE 5 of the drawings, a center key oor plank indicatedgenerally 82 is arranged centrally of the length of underframe 16 andincludes an upwardly opening channel-shaped side portion 44A along eachside thereof. Each side portion 44A receives an interfitintg sideportion 40 of an adjacent oor panel 34 thereby permitting constructionof the floor starting from each side of the transverse center line ofthe car. Side portions 40 are welded at embossments 54 to key plank 82.Additional panels 34 are then added to extend to end floor planks 66.

As an example of a floor plank 36 which has been found to besatisfactory, plank 36 may be cold-pressed from a at steel sheet ofeleven (ll) gauge (.12 inch) thickness with a span or width W ofhorizontal upper main body portion 38 of around five (5) inches asillustrated in FIGURE 4.

To construct the present floor arrangement, each floor plank 36 of thepresent invention is rst formed from a single steel sheet. Then aplurality of intertting oor planks are secured to each other to providepreformed oor panels 34. Center key panel 82 is then secured by weldingto the underframe. Next, preformed panels 34 are laid from each side ofkey panel 82 and are secured to the Au'nderframe of the railway car bywelding from the upper side of the car as the open upwardlychannelshaped portion 44 of each panel provides a contact area for arcspot welding to subjacent support members of the underframe. Theintertitting panels are welded at the embossments of the interlittingadjacent side portions. End bridge panels 66 are welded to end steppedsupports 72 to complete the oor structure.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results obtained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is lintended that allmatter contained in the above descripion or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

I claim:

1. In a railway car having an underframe including an end sill, aplurality of laterally spaced generally parllel support membersextending longitudinally of the underframe, a plurality of metal Hoorpanel supported on said support members, each oor panel comprising atleast a pair of intermediate interting planks over said support membersextending generally transversely of the underframe, each of saidintertting planks being generally identical and formed from a singlemetallic sheet having a generally uniform thickness, each plank having agenerally horizontal upper main body portion, an integral arcuatedownwardly and inwardly directed side portion adjacent one side of saidmain body portion, and an integral generally-shaped side portionadjacent the other side of said main body portion terminating in anupper generally horizontal flange, said channel-shaped side portionopening upwardly and having a generally horizontal lower web supportedon said support members, the arcuate downwardly and inwardly directedside portion of one plank being received and closely nesting within theadjacent upwardly opening channel-shaped side portion of an adjacentplank and underlying the main body portion of an adjacent plank andunderlying the main body portion thereof with the upper horizontal angeof the `adjacent plank positioned beneath and intermediate the width ofthe main body portion of said one plank to support the body portionthereat, spaced, outwardly extending embossments on each downwardlydirected side portion contacting the interlitting side portion of theadjacent plank to space the ntertting side port-ions for providing anailing groove, said inerlitting side portions of adjacent floor planksbeing welded to each other at said embossments at a position immediatelyabove the embossments, a stepped floor panel support secured to said endsill and having .an upper horizontal support web thereon, and aconnecting J-shaped end plank extending between said upper support weband the adjacent floor plank to secure the adjacent floor plank to` theend sill, said J-shaped end plank being received and nesting within theadjacent upwardly opening channel-shaped side portion of the adjacentfloor plank.

2. In a railway box car having an underframe including a lgenerallyangle-shaped end sill having a lower inwardly extending horizontal web,a plurality of laterally spaced support members extending longitudinallyof the underframe and having their upper surfaces disposed in a singlegenerally Ihorizontal plane, a metal oor structure over said supportmembers comprising a key plank secured to said support membersintermediate the length of the underframe and having an upwardly openingchannelshaped side portion along each side thereof, a plurality ofintertting oor panels extending from each side of said key plank, thepanel adjacent each side of said key plank having a side portionreceived within and secured to the adjacent channel-shaped side portion,each panel including at least a pair of inter-fitting planks extendinggenerally transversely of the underframe, each of said intertting planksI'being generally identical and formed from a single metallic sheethaving a uniform thickness, each plank having a generally horizontalupper supporting body portion, an integral downwardly and inwardlycurved side portion underlying the main @body portion and forming asupport adjacent one side of said Ibody portion, and an integralgenerally channel-shaped side portion adjacent the other side of saidIbody portion terminating in an upper generally horizontal flange, saidchannelshaped side portion opening upwardly and having a generallyhorizontal lower web supported on said support members, the downwardlyand inwardly curved side portion of one plan-k being received andnesting within the adjacent upwardly opening channel-shaped side portionof the other plank and lbeing spaced therefrom to provide a nailinggroove therebetween, the upper horizontal flange of the other plankIbeing positioned beneath and intermediate the width of the main bodyportion of said one plank to support the main body portion thereat,welds securing the upwardly opening channel-shaped side portion of eachpanel to the sub-jacent support members at a position intermediate thewidth of the support members, a stepped oor panel support secured tosaid end sill and having an upper horizontal support web thereon overthe lower horizontal web of said end sill, and a connecting J-shaped endplank extending between said upper support web of the stepped oor panelsupport and the adjacent floor panel to secure the adjacent floor panelto the end sill, the J- shaped end plank including a downwardly andinwardly turned side portion nested in the upwardly openingchannel-shaped side portion of the immediately adjacent plank of the oorpanel.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTSLevaur 52-588 Breguet 287--189.36 X Gregoire 52-588 Brown 52-588Bnunning 52-377 6 FOREIGN PATENTS 539,549 7/1955 Belgium.

HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R.

